Chapter 34-All Eyes On You

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD.

All Eyes On You

"Man, this is bullshit," Joshua grumbled to himself, snapping the book he'd been reading shut.

[Language: Japanese has gone up a level.]

'Oh, shut up,' He thought, rolling his eyes. Margalo's chirping brought a smile to his face though, as it always did. The baby of his new family was always able to brighten the mood wherever she went. And she went everywhere, at least now that she could fly.

"I know, I know," He said with a shake of his head as he turned to look at his familiar bird, who was now standing on his shoulder. With a slight chuckle, he rubbed his finger under her beak. "Say, how about we go outside and walk through the forest a bit, yeah?" He asked, making Cheshire meow, communicating that yes, if they were going, so was she.

Cracking his neck, Joshua checked that he had his cards on him, as he always did when he left. Most of the woods around the house were under wards too, but he could never be too careful. Or so he thought, anyway.

"Morag? Nagini? You coming, girls?" He called as he made his way through the living room once more before making his way out. Both of his familiars remained where they were, which wasn't too surprising. Nagini was usually too lazy to move much, but she was always watching and always present when she needed to be. Morag, for her part, was slightly stranger, but she seemed to be entertained with her webs, so he'd let her be. "Well, see you-" He was stopped by the sound of his phone.

It was a strange day when it rang, really. After all, there were two people that had his number, really. Peter, his manager, and Jeanne. Peter had called him like, two times in over half a year. Jeanne called sometimes when she was out, but it was still strange.

Sighing, he picked it up from the table where he'd left it.

"Jeanne, do you-"

"Mr. Davis," A voice greeted and he froze, his expression emptying in an instant. He knew that voice, but how the hell had they gotten his number. After a second of thought, he supposed he shouldn't really be surprised, really. "We were hoping you were free to talk. We have a proposition for you."

"Griselda Quarta," He greeted back, barely managing to keep his voice level. "I wasn't expecting a call from the Church, if I'm honest."

"We have our ways of getting information, Mr. Davis," The woman replied just as neutrally. Joshua's eyes narrowed then, wondering if they'd gotten it from Peter or some other way. In the world they lived in, it was difficult to know. "We have a job for someone of your capabilities, Mr. Davis, and we'd pay you quite handsomely."

"And you can't use these 'ways' you are speaking of to find someone more willing than me?" He asked, unable to control himself. "Because we both know what I said when we met."

Joshua had said he'd consider it, but he'd never agreed to anything. She had to know what that meant, really. Either that, or he'd overestimated her, which he doubted. She seemed capable enough from what he'd seen, even if it wasn't much.

"We have, but we'd like to have our bases covered. This is an important job, after all," Quarta said then and Joshua narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath in.

"And what is this job about?" He asked, at the very least willing to hear her out. He didn't want to deal with her, really, even less so with the Church. Trying to balance that with his relationship with the Devils was asking for trouble. He'd chosen to tread that path though and Sairaorg hadn't warned him against it or anything, so he could play along for a bit, he supposed.

Most of his problem with the Church was that, as far as he was concerned, they were worse than the Devils. Why? Simple, really. Sairaorg knew Joshua didn't trust him. What had he done about that? Nothing. He'd accommodated as much as he could and earned the man's trust.

The Church, for their part, seemed to not care about his reservations. They either didn't understand how he felt about them, or they were ignoring it. Honestly, he thought that it was the latter and that was the worst of the two options, in his opinion.

He wasn't a fan of the way he was contacted either, if he was honest. He'd have preferred to just have been asked for his number when they met. At least that way it'd feel more like he was doing this willingly instead of being strong armed into it.

"One of the two Youkai Factions was the victim of an attack," She said then and, this time, his eyes widened. Joshua had been a day or two from setting the Youkai wards around Rias and Sona. That couldn't be a coincidence, right? "They have called everyone they could to help strengthen their defenses."

"And you want me and my wards, huh?" He realized quite easily.

"Indeed," She confirmed, although they both knew it was unnecessary.

'A Faction of all things,' He thought, going over his options. He could say no, but why? If his wards failed, it would be the Church that got the fallout from the Youkai. And if the Church tried to go after him, he'd just go deeper down the Devil rabbit hole, which he had less and less problems with as time passed.

His choice was made then, he opened his mouth to reply…

But instead it clicked shut.

A screen had appeared in front of his face.

[Quest: Wards for the Kyubi

Reward:

+ Update: Minor Blessing of ####

+ Senjutsu

Information: Must go on behalf of ####.]

Joshua stared at the tan screen, with an ankh in the background, for a long moment. He took a deep breath in then and then sighed. He considered it quickly, since he had Griselda on the phone, waiting for an answer.

He found that there was not much competition. On the one hand, there were the people that he didn't quite like and were being entirely too forceful in their approach to his liking. On the other, there was a deity that apparently had been watching him for a long time. One that had given him a tool to improve his relationship with his familiars.

Maybe this Egyptian deity was shady, and made him more than a little nervous. Actually, it sure did, but it was also the better of the two options in his head. 'I really hate having to choose between two bad options though,' He thought.

He'd been about to choose to do this job for the Church, yes. However, denying them and then going in someone else's name was much worse than just saying no and being done with it. How would the Church react to that? He'd have to offer something, some other jobs or something of the sort, he supposed.

'I'm getting more and more involved in this shit,' Joshua lamented as he sighed. Then his eye moved to the screen. 'At least I'm getting something out of this.'

"I'm sorry," He said then, trying to make it sound like he truly was. "But I've made a deal to go there already with someone else."

"The Devils, I'm guessing?" Griselda asked through the phone, sounding unsurprised.

"Actually, no. It's from someone that I've been in contact with for longer than them," Joshua explained, telling the whole truth, if in a slightly twisted way. That earned him a long silence from Quarta. "Didn't know that, did you?" He asked, slightly amused. It was good to be on that side of the conversation once in a while, that was for sure.

"Can I ask who you are representing then?" She prodded, although he'd give her credit. She didn't sound like she was interrogating him for once.

Still, he was a breath away from telling her that it was none of her business. He'd do it in a polite way, sure, but it was the essence of the matter. However, something stopped him. In front of his face, on the screen, the censored text changed and showed him the actual name of his mystery benefactor.

"Shed, of the Egyptian Pantheon," Joshua told her, taking the change as approval. He also made a mental note to research that guy as soon as possible. He'd have to ask Sairaorg for more books that spoke of that faction too, if this deity was going to take a more active role now. He already had several from times when he investigated that, but he didn't remember ever coming across that name.

"I… see…" Griselda replied slowly, clearly not having expected that at all. There was a pause there in which Joshua wondered what was left to say after that. Was she thinking of a way to convince him to change his mind? Because that sounded quite insane to him. Surely she wouldn't insult another pantheon just to get what she wanted, right? "And could I convince you to say that you were in contact with us too."

Joshua's brain took a moment to reboot at that.

Then he almost groaned.

'Am I gonna get dragged into politics now? Because goddamnit, I don't need that shit in my life,' He thought to himself with a grimace. Still, the screen changed once more, subtly, sending yet another message.

[Quest: Wards for the Kyubi

Reward:

+ Blessing of Shed

+ Senjutsu

Information: Must go mainly on behalf of Shed.]

'Ok then…'

"I can do that," He agreed then, hearing her sigh on the other side of the phone. Joshua almost chuckled at that, before something caught his attention. From the Charm, with Magic Sense, he got a feeling of something. Amusement, he realized after a moment. It was reassuring, to know how Shed was feeling about this whole mess. At least Joshua knew that it wasn't somehow annoyed by him or something.

"Thank you, Mr. Davis," Quarta said then, and she sounded like she meant it. He had to wonder if she was being pressured to get his help or something of the sort. That couldn't be, right? He wasn't that good, surely. "I'll make sure you are properly rewarded for this, I assure you."

"You do that," He told her, finally being able to relax. "And call me Joshua, please," He added as an afterthought.

"I… can do that," She replied, sounding slightly off all of a sudden. Joshua guessed she was used to being formal with everyone. She certainly gave off that impression to him.

"If that's all…"

"It is, thank you. I'll contact you again for your payment after this is taken care of… Joshua. Until then."

"Later," He said, uncaring of how informal that sounded as she hung up.

With a long, drawn out sigh, he sat on the couch.

"Sorry, girls," He mumbled. "I'm not feeling up to going anywhere now," He added, earning understanding sounds from his familiars. "I really could use a month without something stressful happening," He grumbled to himself before he dragged himself back to his feet. "I'll make myself a cup of tea. I really need one."

Massaging his eyes, suddenly feeling tired, he made his way to the kitchen. Or he planned to, because Cheshire called for him at that moment. When he turned, held back a curse. There, on a shelf, a flier was shining. The flier, actually. The one Sairaorg had said belonged to Serafall Leviathan.

He almost wanted to ignore it, to make an excuse if anyone ever asked. Something like he wasn't home at that moment or anything of the sort. Whatever helped him avoid having to have the conversation that would surely follow. 'No way this is a coincidence.'

"For fuck's sake," He muttered as he walked towards the piece of paper. First though, he took the Charm of Shed, just in case. Then, grabbing the flier, he communicated through it. An instant later, a teleportation circle appeared in his living room and a Devil appeared.

Or, he thought she was a Devil, at least. She certainly didn't look like one. 'Is that a magical girl outfit? The fuck?'

"Hi hi~ I'm magical girl Levia-tan~!" The girl 'introduced' herself. Joshua, meanwhile, stared at her together with his familiars. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and then let it out. 'Let's just… roll with it,' He told himself.

"A pleasure to meet you… Levia-tan," He said, feeling his eye twitch as he addressed her like that. "I'm Joshua Davis… freelance magician, I guess. Please call me Joshua."

"The pleasure is all mine, Jo-tan," She said beaming at him and he sighed once more. 'As long as it isn't Mr. Davis,' He thought resignedly. "I'm sure you are wondering why I'm here," The girl said, looking around the living room, mainly focusing on his familiars.

"The Youkai thing, I'm guessing," Joshua hazarded, too tired/annoyed to beat around the bush. That made the Satan blink and turn to him. A second later, she pouted. 'I really have to wonder how this kind of stuff happens around me,' Joshua lamented.

"The meanies from the Church already got you to go for them, didn't they?" She asked, sounding like a child that had their favorite toy taken away from them. Joshua simply massaged the bridge of his nose and wondered what to do. Once more, the Charm gave him a sense of amusement before approval and the slightest of pities. 'I'll take that as a go ahead,' Joshua decided.

"I am going, but not on the Church's behalf," He corrected, his voice sounding tired even to himself. He just wanted some time to rest and think, was that so much to ask for? "The Egyptian Pantheon contacted me first," He added, lying through his teeth. He wasn't going to be telling anyone that he'd decided to choose those over the Church. That was just asking for trouble.

"Moh, I'm late~" She pouted even more, which he thought was quite the accomplishment. Meanwhile, Joshua simply stared at her.

"If that's all… it was a pleasure, really, but I was going to go for a walk just now before you arrived," He lied again, because he really just wanted to be left alone. He just wanted to be done with it all.

"And now you are kicking me out?" She added, her eyes tearing up a bit. 'The fuck?' Joshua thought, baffled. Then he closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, at least the smallest bit.

"You know what? I think I'll stay here and just… drink some tea. That should help too, I guess…" He mumbled to himself before turning back to the Satan in the room. "Want one?"

"Yes, please. With lots of sugar~" She agreed instantly, the pout disappearing as if it had never been there. Instead, what replaced it was a beaming smile of a very happy child. 'How's this person a Satan?' He asked himself. Still, despite how irritating and surreal the whole situation was, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, I like my tea sweet too," He commented, already moving towards the kitchen.

"Your familiars are really cute~" Joshua heard as he worked on those teas. Cute wasn't the word he expected to be used for half of his familiars, but yeah, he agreed with that assessment. Margalo chirped on his shoulder, but not pleased. Instead, she sounded slightly annoyed.

He laughed a little.

"Go on, stay close to Cheshire," Joshua said, shaking his head as the bird took flight instantly towards the living room. Apparently, Margalo wanted in on the attention that was, apparently, being showered on the others. 'Well, at least she's nicer than the Church's people,' He mused as he continued preparing the tea.

Eventually, he had to move back to the living room. As he did so, he stopped and blinked. There was the Satan - 'I'm not gonna get used to thinking that.' - sitting on a couch, with Nagini coiled next to her and watching her curiously, Morag peeking at her from the coffee table, Margalo on her shoulder and Cheshire on her lap. The latter of which seemed to be enjoying the woman's petting at the moment.

Joshua felt his shoulders relax a little. If nothing else, he trusted Cheshire's judgement. 'Guess I can give her the benefit of the doubt,' He decided, still somewhat reluctant despite it all.

"Is there an actual reason you are staying here?" He asked as he set the cup in front of her. "I'm not kicking you out," He clarified when he saw the woman go to protest just like before. Apparently, his guess was right, because she just pouted at him. 'I really need to stop being surprised by this shit,' He mused. "I'm just curious. I'm sure you didn't stay just because."

"You are smart, Jo-tan~" She said, giggling as she finished. "I wanted to know who was making the wards for my precious So-tan," She explained cheerfully. 'Guessed so,' He thought wearily. "You seem like a nice man, Jo-tan. You don't have to worry about me or Zechs." 'Sirzechs, the current Lucifer, right? That's reassuring.'

And it actually was. It meant so much more to hear that from one of the people he'd been so worried about in person than from others. Especially because Cheshire was there to confirm that, indeed, the woman meant what she was saying. Of course, there was the possibility that he was placing too much trust in his familiar sense. This was a Satan, surely she could fool Extrasensory, right? However, he had to trust something, so… he'd go with that, for the moment.

"I agreed to drop the Church's name when I go to the Youkai," He said then, feeling approval once more coming from the Charm of Shed, which encouraged him. The Satan tilted her head curiously at him. "I can do the same for you. Say that you came to me for this job and that I had to reject you because of a previous arrangement. I'm sure it'll mean something if I can actually help them."

"Hmmm~" Levia-tan - 'God, that's so not better.' - hummed, eyes narrowing in thought. "I can accept that, Jo-tan. Your tea's really good, by the way," She replied eventually, taking another sip from her cup.

"Thank you." Then there was a moment of silence as she continued drinking and petting Cheshire. "Are you gonna stay for long?"

"Are you inviting me for dinner? How bold of you, Jo-tan," She replied grinning from ear to ear.

Joshua simply sighed once again.

[}-o-{]

"Why does everything happen when I'm not here?" Jeanne whined while Joshua simply deadpanned at her. Morag, on the girl's shoulder, gave her a reassuring pat with her little leg.

"Really, Jeanne? Really?" He asked, sighing and rubbing his face with his hands.

"Sorry, I just… I don't like that you have to face all this alone," She mumbled and he sighed again.

"Don't worry about it. I just…" Joshua started before just groaning. "I'll have to resign from the cafe, I guess, considering that I'll have to go away for a while because of this."

"We'll have to go away," Jeanne corrected then, narrowing her eyes at him and he smiled ruefully.

"Yeah, I guessed as much," Joshua said dejectedly. "It's good that I was already thinking about it, huh?"

"I guess," His sister nodded nervously and he gave her a sympathetic smile. "So, how will this go?"

"Well, I talked with Serafall and-"

"Serafall, huh?" Jeanne noted with a smile that had him groaning.

"Why did I think that letting you spend time with Devils was a good idea?" Joshua lamented before just continuing. "She said she'd arrange a way for me to get there. Otherwise, I'd probably have coordinated something with the Church. They probably thought I'd already got plans since I had supposed 'already gotten the job' and all that."

"Didn't think to talk to your godly friend?" Jeanne asked, looking at the Charm that hung from a belt loop.

"Last resort," Joshua replied with a wry smile as he looked at the Charm. "I don't know how much… Shed gets from this thing and it's not a very reliable way of communicating, really. Or I don't think it is. I get vague impressions and feelings from it, but so far no words," He explained with a shrug as he took a sip from his tea. He'd been drinking a whole lot of it that day, but he really needed a way to stay calm.

"Hm," She hummed before she blinked and then a slight smile formed on her face. "Does that mean we are going on a vacation?"

"I guess it… does," Joshua acknowledged, his own lips tugging into a grin. "Hope you like the idea of going to Japan… to stay for a bit, that is," He added, remembering that they'd gone to Kuoh already. That had been just for less than a few hours though and they'd barely seen anything.

"Where is it that we are going?"

"Kyoto," Joshua answered, looking on in amusement as Jeanne pulled her phone out and started looking for info.

"Oooh, there's some interesting things to see here," She exclaimed after a moment of looking through things, turning the screen towards him. "Look at all the places we could go!"

He smiled, both at her enthusiasm and at the idea. There were some rather beautiful places that they could visit if he had some free time. He didn't expect to have much of that, but at least Jeanne should have some fun, he supposed. With some luck, he'd be able to accompany her at least once or twice.

"What's the job about anyway? More detection wards?" She asked curiously, stopping her touristic research for a moment.

"Well, that, but also defensive wards, which I'll have to train with, since I haven't delved on that yet," He mused before grimacing. He'd have to push all training aside to focus on that if he wanted to get good enough for this in a short time. It wasn't ideal, but it was what it was. "Apparently, someone attacked the leader of one of the Yokai Factions. Now they are reaching out to everyone they can to send people that will improve their defenses. They don't want a repeat."

"Seems a little… excessive, right?" Jeanne noted and he gave her a proud smile. She returned a shy one instantly, before looking away.

"It is, but it makes sense. They tried to kidnap the leader's daughter," Joshua explained, whatever good mood he had vanished at the idea. It sickened him that they'd tried to involve a child in whatever plan they had in mind. How Joshua wished he could get his hands on those people… Although, they were probably out of his league, sadly. "I'd certainly go a little overboard if anyone tried to take you or one of the girls, that's for sure," He added, placing a hand over Nagini's head, who in turn gave his legs a little squeeze.

"I guess it does make sense," Jeanne agreed, although the smile on her face told him that she had focused more on the last sentence he'd said. "So, what's this about you having dinner with a Satan?"

"Jeanne," Joshua groaned. "Please."

"What? I'm curious!"

"She was… really weird," He commented, with an unsure expression. "Not in a bad way, but I have no idea what was going through her head. I guess that could be part of the whole act. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that she was just making sure that I was on her side. That or trying to see if the guy that made a deal to place wards around her sister was trustworthy. Can certainly understand that," Joshua explained, frowning as he considered what had happened that night before Jeanne arrived from her outing.

"Hmmm, that so?" She mumbled. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," He confirmed with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, how was your night? Hopefully calmer than mine."

"I mean, yeah, it was. But now it just feels like it was boring in comparison," Jeanne said, pouting at him. In turn, Joshua simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow that made her huff and turn away. "I have one more question though," She continued and the man didn't like the feeling of dread that washed over him at those words. "Was she pretty?"

His palm met his forehead as he groaned once again.

[} Chapter End {]

(AN:Please remember that this story is not mine and will never be mine. Make sure to give thanks to the original author on fanfiction.net https://m.fanfiction.net/u/11459794/)